Residents enjoy ice skating at the free-of-charge ice skating rink installed at Constitution Square in Mexico City, capital of Mexico, Dec. 17, 2012. (Xinhua/Pedro Mera)
"Dressed in uniforms with high technical standards, members (of the National Guard) will take part in the parade beginning from the Constitution Square of Mexico City," it said.
MEXICO CITY, Sept. 14 (Xinhua) -- The newly-created National Guard is to debut in Mexico's Independence Day military parade, authorities said in a statement Saturday.
The national guardsmen will be part of the 13,000 members of the security forces to parade in downtown streets here to commemorate the 209th anniversary of the Independence Day on Sept. 16, the Ministry of Security and Civilian Protection said.
The National Guard's participation in the parade will be a display of its strength in terms of human capital and military equipments, said the ministry.
"Dressed in uniforms with high technical standards, members (of the National Guard) will take part in the parade beginning from the Constitution Square of Mexico City," it said.
The Mexican Congress created the National Guard at the beginning of this year by the request of President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador as a response to the country's growing violence and homicide rate.
The National Guard is currently comprised of 58,000 members, and is projected to expand to 150,000 by 2021, according to the ministry. ■
